Ahoy, squirts! Quint here with the winner of the lightsaber contest... plus a whole bunch of altered pics to make you smile.

I ended up receiving over 150 entries to this contest and considering how specific it was and how it revolved around the entrant having a good grasp on his Photoshop skills I'm quite impressed with the number of entries and the quality of the work I received. For those who don't remember, the contest was to make a reverse Special Edition of sorts. I wanted you guys to make a still from THE PHANTOM MENACE or ATTACK OF THE CLONES look and feel more like the Original Trilogy. I am in the camp that firmly believes the new Trilogy should have been adapted around the original trilogy, not the other way around. But I'm also very happy with the Prequel Trilogy/Original Trilogy offspring that REVENGE OF THE SITH comes off as, so I was curious to see what some of the other prequels would look like if they too had adapted more of the tone and design of the Original Trilogy.

This was a truly hard contest to judge. I want to thank everyone who entered for making this such a hard choice. There were some examples of amazing Photoshop work that didn't quite fit into the rules I outlined, some that were sent just to make me smile and a select few that made the top 5 that I debated on all afternoon. And, of course, a gratuitous amount of Jar Jar death.

I'm gonna share with you about 20 of my favorite entries, ending with the winner. You can enlarge any of the below pics by clicking on them. Let's start with the ones that made me laugh the most:

I love that one, done by Matt Zitron. If the contest had been for funniest STAR WARS scene, this would have won. The next one is actually one that fit the rules of the contest, but was edged out. It made me smile, though, so I thought I'd share. Created by Steve Fishman we have ATTACK OF THE GONKS!

What coulda been, huh? I don't quite know what the hell is going on in the next entry from Nick Stakelum... it's one of the better Photoshop jobs I got, but didn't quite fit the criteria. There seems to be a lot of debauchery going on below... Mace gettin' some boobage, Darth Vader getting a Clinton, Jar Jar pleasing a Twi'lek orally... curiouser and curiouser...

This next entry from Brian Monarch made me laugh. I got a lot of spirit insertions (yes, I know that sounds dirty and well it should!) sent to me, but this one just went all out.

It's the Chicken Walker ghost that cracks me up! I love it. Before we move on to the finalists, I have to share a couple more that impressed me. I've always loved a good character collage and this next pic from David Pielich has damn near every major STAR WARS character in one space... as well as a passed out Jar Jar.

As you can see... didn't really fit the criteria, however I liked it enough to share with all of you.

Mace Windu got a couple really nice upgrades. The below piece of art from Luke R. Pebler postulates that Mace is the illegitimate father of Lando Calrissian. This photo actually scares me. I love the new additions to his outfit, but is it just me or does this Photoshop job make Sam Jackson look like Bernie Mac?

I also got this one from Dennis Fanning that is crude, but damn funny. Go Fro!

Now I want to barrage your senses with a few of the best entries that featured either very inventive death to or great pain inflicted upon one Jar Jar Binks. Once again, these didn't fit the criteria, so I had to rule them out of the running, but I think most of you will get a kick out of them. First up from John Sprengelmeyer:

Nicely done. Love the head breaking apart. Next is a scene from THE PHANTOM MENACE as imagined by Jonathan Marquez:

The next one from Ray Patnaude really had me busting a gut. I think it's the look on Natalie Portman's face...

You'll love this one from Coarey Trim:

This is probably my favorite dead Jar Jar entry. I love how intricate it is, how many different pieces there are. From Sandy Cotreau here's "Delicious Jar Jar":

I know this is getting long, but I have one more group that I want to highlight. These would be the mock posters sent in. I really, really loved these, but ultimately I had to rule them out as well as they weren't what I asked for. But the fantastic work that went into these really needs to be highlighted, so here they are. From Chris Preksta I got these two awesome pieces:

And:

I also really dig this poster from Scott Rogers:

From Rob Peets comes perhaps my favorite entry of all. If I could give this guy a prize I would. I really, really, really love this poster. I would frame it and hang it on my wall if it were out there. Great, great work that captures the feel of the Original Trilogy better than any of the Prequel One-Sheets. However it's not exactly what I asked for. He got the spirit of the contest perfectly, but I have to stick to the rules I set up or it wouldn't be fair.

OK. Now we're into the finalists... I have the Top 5 entries based on the criteria stated in the Contest announcement. The first place winner will receive a Master Replicas Darth Vader FX Lightsaber, the others just get hearty congratulations and my appreciation for a job well done. I was juggling the first three images you'll see a little, but the real decision was between the second place and ultimate winner. Those two were always duking it out for the grand prize since the first 24-36 hours of the contest.

#5

I received a lot of well done entries featuring AT-ATs during the Geonesis Clone invasion from AOTC, but of all the entries featuring AT-ATs prominently this one from Stephen Eldridge is my favorite.

#4

This entry from Steve Fishman did a really nice job putting an event from ATTACK OF THE CLONES into a more recognizable and nostalgic (and dare I say visually more appealing) setting. It's a tad rough around the edges, but I really dig it.

#3

I love this one, from Scott Faris. A subtle change of environment, a much better threat to a fleeing Obi-Wan... Even with Jar Jar in it, this feels like STAR WARS.

#2

Here's where it really became a chore. This next pic from Victor DiGiovanni was the first entry that I felt really got the contest and like I said above was armwrestling with the winner for the majority of the contest. It's simple and truly geeky. A real STAR WARS fan would come up with this, someone that saw the OT in it's original pre-SE form and remembers the little things that gave it its charm. Here's the entry that ALMOST won:

#1

The winner... So, we're down to it at last. This entry from Chris Gallevo is the big winner. It's not flashy, it's not immaculate, however it really is everything I was looking for in this contest. It's a still from ATTACK OF THE CLONES that changes up the effects used to tie it more directly to the Original Trilogy. Here's the winning entry!

Notice the AT-ATs included on the battle board as well. It was subtlety that won the day for me this time around. I love, love, love the addition of the original Death Star projection. I think it's the best at combining the OT and the PT as well as being one of the better Photoshop jobs. The above could be a still from the movie and that's exactly what I was looking for.

Congratulations to Chris for winning and to the 3 winners of the Talkback Trivia Contest (told ya' to keep checking back). Thanks again to all those that participated in this little contest of mine and thanks especially to Master Replicas for providing all the Jedi/Sith weaponry!

I'll be back soon with my opinion of REVENGE OF THE SITH as well as my final WAR OF THE WORLDS set report. Until then, this is Quint bidding you all a fond farewell and adieu.

-Quint